Legal Studies

This course focuses on correctly identifying organized crime to establish the scope of international, European, and Spanish legal instruments designed to fight it. 

This course provides an introduction to the basic principles and areas of application of public international law. The course consists of weekly lectures and interactive seminars designed to provide a solid understanding of the most important rules and principles of international law. Additionally, the course covers the place of international law within the international (legal) system. The course covers the most important topics in international law such as sources, subjects, jurisdiction and immunities, peaceful dispute settlement, collective security and the use of force, law of the sea, and environmental law by reviewing the basic rules and general principles and critically analyzing their application to contemporary problems in international relations.

This course introduces the law and practice of international commercial arbitration. It focuses on arbitration of business-to-business disputes, although much of the course material also applies to disputes governed by public international law, such as investor-state arbitrations. The course covers the intersection of international law, national law, and private contract that comprises the governing regime for the resolution of international commercial disputes. Specific topics include the drafting and enforcement of arbitration agreements, the laws applicable to different aspects of the arbitration, the jurisdiction, composition and powers of the tribunal, confidentiality, interim measures, the conduct of the hearing, and the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards. Lectures are supplemented with class discussion and a variety of in-class activities meant to simulate real problems confronted by arbitration lawyers. Text: Gary B. Born, INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION: LAW AND PRACTICE. Assessment: Participation in in-class exercises (33%), Take-home final exam (67%).

This course offers an introduction to US Constitutional law. It is designed to provide a solid foundation in the constitutional law of the US both for commercial lawyers, and for lawyers interested in public law and human rights. In addition to examining questions of interpretive method, the course focuses on the powers of the federal government and the allocation of decision-making authority among government institutions, including federalism and separation of powers. 

The course is designed to prepare students for leadership in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse workforce. Throughout the course, students are challenged to question, think, and respond thoughtfully to the issues they observe and encounter in the internship setting, and the designated city in general. Students have the opportunity to cultivate the leadership skills as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), such as critical thinking, teamwork, and diversity. Assignments focus on building a portfolio that highlights those competencies and their application to workplace skills. The hybrid nature of the course allows students to develop their skills in a self-paced environment with face-to-face meetings and check-ins to frame their intercultural internship experience. Students complete 45 hours of in-person and asynchronous online learning activities and 225-300 hours at their internship placement.

This course analyzes prior constitutions and political events that led to the birth of the Fifth Republic. It then offers an in-depth study of constitutional law mechanisms to better understand the institutional framework of a working democracy and current trends in government. The course is divided into five parts: history of the Fifth Republic, the executive, parliament, the judiciary and constitutional justice, and the European Union constitutional law.